And Everything That We've Become
by GreenEyedDanger
Summary: it's been years since student and teacher parted in Everwood; Kyle off to try his hand at Julliard, and Ephram left teaching children how to play simple nursery rhymes.
1. Chapter 1

Kyle Hunter ran his hand irritably through his short hair. He hated flying, and just wanted to get off this plane. It figured that he'd be stuck in the row behind the pregnant woman and her two screaming kids, none of whom seemed to be able to get their bag back out of the overhead compartment. Kyle was not in the mood to be helpful, either. Finally, someone came along and helped the struggling woman retrieve her luggage, and Kyle was able to move down the aisle. It was almost a pleasure to breathe in the stale airport air… only marginally less stale than that of the plane. He considered it a miracle when his luggage hadn't been lost, and headed out into the madness of hailing a taxi.

With the relief of having more than four inches of leg room, Kyle gladly rolled down the window and inhaled the polluted air as the cab driver sped through the city. It had been two years since he'd been here, but for the city that never slept, it hadn't changed a remarkable amount. Not being big on change, this was something that Kyle appreciated.

At last, the cab found its way to the place where Kyle would be boarding. Kyle looked at it in distaste through the grimy window, reluctant to get out. What this dainty white house with the whitewash fence and small front garden full of tulips was doing in the heart of New York City, he couldn't fathom, but it certainly didn't look like his sort of place. Kyle paid his exorbitant fare and headed up the walkway rather slowly, not in a hurry to enter this place that was to be his home for the next six months.

The man who answered the door when he finally rang took Kyle by surprise. This man didn't belong in this house and more than this house belonged in this city. He looked exactly like the man Kyle had left behind for this trip, who didn't want a long distance relationship and certainly didn't want to relocate. Kyle did a double take. After the initial shock, he realized this man was at least two inches taller than Conor had been. His hair was also a few shades darker, and he was at least five years older.

Kyle shook his head to clear his mind and said, "I'm Kyle."

"Right on," the man said, his accent, thankfully, American. Very different from Conor. "Clay Randall. Your room's upstairs on the right, and you get the right-hand side of the kitchen, and the top-half of the fridge. Only one bathroom, so I hope you don't have a problem with that. My girlfriend, Leila, ain't too high-maintenance, so she doesn't hog the mirror much."

"That's great," Kyle replied. "Is the shower free now, then?" He had to get to his dinner meeting, but he wanted to wash the stench of travel off himself and put on some nicer clothes, first. Not that he really had nice clothes; second-hand stuff, mostly. But if you didn't look too hard, he believed no one could really tell.

"Sure," Clay Randall told him. "Next door after your bedroom."

Kyle barely mumbled a quick thanks, and headed upstairs. He was not what most would call a people-person. In fact, he really hated most people. Ironic.

Less than an hour later, Kyle was pulling himself out of another cab; he'd have to get a subway pass as soon as possible. He couldn't afford these fares. He'd dressed in his black slacks with a red button-down shirt and a black tie. The tie had, admittedly, seen better days. He'd have to get another, but it would do for now. After all, he'd already got the position. This was just a dinner meeting.

Kyle felt incredibly out of place as he walked through the doors of the Hilton. He'd never been inside one before, and had a feeling they didn't accept people of his status. Looking down at his watch, he realized he was more than half an hour early, and was unsure of what to do. With as much confidence as he could exude under these circumstances, he crossed the lobby, figuring the Lobby Lounge must be nearby.

Not one to be caught off-guard on a normal day, this day seemed determined to continually test his ability to hold his cool exterior in place. Because there was live music being played in the lobby. Because that music was being issued from a piano. And because the person sitting on the bench and tapping the keys was the last person Kyle ever expected to run into again. Kyle couldn't help it. He stared in amazement and disbelief.

Ephram Brown looked up from the piano, and Kyle knew he was caught. He knew that he couldn't escape this situation now. The expression on Ephram's face was one that Kyle was sure matched his own, and he realized he looked like a real idiot. Kyle quickly replaced the look with a self-assured smirk, and sauntered over to the piano. With pity, he dropped a dollar into the tip jar that sat atop the piano. It sucked giving up money to this right prick, but Kyle hoped it made it seem like he was successful, and what a shame it was to see his old teacher playing a few notes, trying to part the rich with the cash they didn't even carry.

The courteous nod that Ephram than gave Kyle was probably some required gesture and Kyle felt his insides expanding with pure ego. No one would be yanking his chain like this. He'd never stand for it.

When Ephram finished the piece he was playing, he folded his hands in his lap and looked up at Kyle again. Kyle was suddenly weary. Up close, would his ratty clothes reveal him as someone who had no right being in this building? What was more, he was at a loss for words, which wasn't something he was used to experiencing.

"I see you've come pretty far," Ephram finally said after a minute's silence. "Never did I think when I took this job that I'd see the bane of my youth come walking through the door to find me here."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I was hardly looking for you," Kyle said, trying to sneer, but not fully succeeding.

"Pleasant as you ever were," Ephram laughed. "We should get a drink and catch up. I'm on great terms with all the staff here, it'd be my treat."

Kyle knew it would have to be. He fully doubted he'd be able to afford water here, but he didn't want to show his hand. "Some other time," he told the older man. "I've got a dinner meeting I can't miss. Tomorrow evening?" He hoped he sounded like someone who'd acquired some class.

Ephram nodded in agreement. "My shift ends at eight."

Kyle nodded as well, and turned on his heels, luckily spotting a sign directing him upstairs towards the Lobby Lounge. He walked away, his back straight and his head held high, taking the stairs as if he did this every day.

"I'm here for a meeting with Mr. Leland Vincent," Kyle confidently told the maître d' of the restaurant. He was led to a table to await his new employer. Unfortunately, he had a perfect view of Ephram at his piano from up here.


	2. Chapter 2

He started to play again, but his eye followed the younger man's footsteps. He could just see Kyle's shoes through the railing. Ephram watched each person who entered the lobby until he saw a graying gentleman head up the stairs and join Kyle's table. He wondered what the meeting was about, if the former student was still playing piano. Either way, it was clear that it was important, taking place here, in nice clothing, over a meal.

Ephram thought about his own life, and hoped that Kyle's plans had worked out better. Obviously, he was on the right track. Was he joining a prestigious orchestra? Perhaps some sort of fellowship? He sighed heavily as his finger continued to fly across the keys. Ephram had been playing the same twenty or so pieces seven nights a week for… what? A year and a half now.

Ephram loosened his bowtie gratefully. He hung the provided tails up in his provided locker, and changed into his comfortable jeans and tee. Then he sat down and silently counted his tips. He never got over how stingy rich people were with their money, as he had forty-six dollars to show for his eight hours of piano play. At least he didn't play just for tips, but the hotel paid just above what they had to for his time.

He sighed as he hauled himself down the road towards the subway. Life in the big city was different than he remembered it being when he was younger. Of course, his father had paid for everything back then. And while the great doctor was still willing to help him out, Ephram was reluctant to ask unless it was absolutely necessary.

Hauling himself up five sets of stairs, Ephram at last opened the door to his two-bedroom apartment, and collapsed immediately on the couch, his feet, hanging off one armrest, his head laying against the other.

"Another long day?" Amy asked, walking into the room with a plate of grilled cheese she'd made for her husband.

Ephram took the plate and checked both sides covertly. Amy had given him many burned or still half-soggy sandwiches before she'd gotten the hang of it, and even then, she still didn't cook them right every time. He took a grateful bite of the food and felt the warmth spread through his belly.

He nodded. "You'll never believe who I ran into at the hotel today, though."

Amy shook her head. She was no good at guessing games, and he knew it. "Old friend or colleague?" she asked him.

Kyle hadn't been either of those things, not really, so he shook his head. "I don't know what I'd call Kyle Hunter, exactly. Hardly a protégé anymore, if he's having meetings at hotels with god only knows who, and I'm just laying piano for rich people who don't even appreciate what a difference ambiance music makes."

"Now, there's nothing wrong with what you do," Amy assured him. It seemed she had to tell him all the time that there was no shame in his job. She knew that it wasn't what he wanted to do, but he was making enough money for the three of them, and that was what mattered.

Ephram polished off his first sandwich and started in on the other. "I'll be home late tomorrow. We're meeting for drinks to catch up."

Amy kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Don't let him get you down then. Adelia slept through the night in her own room last night," she added sliding her hand along his thigh.

He raised his eyebrow at her. "Really?" he asked, licking the buttery crumbs off his fingers. "You wouldn't lie to me about alone time, would you?"

A playful smile spread across Amy's lips, and she tossed her bangs out of her eyes. That answer was good enough for Ephram, who quickly set his plate on the coffee table and stood up, grabbing her hand and dragging her to the bedroom on the other side of the kitchen.

Ephram made quick work of getting his wife out of her clothes, and he noted that she'd clearly been preparing for his homecoming. He'd seen her in the red bustier and black thong on a few occasions before; they didn't make enough money for her to have a vast lingering collection. But he could never get over just how stunning she looked, her curves luring him in.

He pulled off his shirt and then pushed Amy back on the bed, then crawled on top of her. It had been a long time since they'd made such long-lasting passionate love. A very long time. Most nights they were too tired and went straight to bed. But this… this was just what he needed after today. Perfect in every way. The couple collapsed against each other nearly an hour later, sweating and panting, but both completely satisfied.

"I just… you…" Ephram said, trying to get his brain to start functioning again. Instead, he leaned over and kissed her again. "We need to start doing that more often."

"If your daughter is willing to sleep when she's supposed to from now on, I think that might be possible," Amy told him. "Getting to sleep through the whole night last night was heavenly for me. I woke up today feeling better than I have in months."

Ephram smiled. "I'm glad you're finally getting the sleep you deserve. You've been a real crabby woman. But I guess that's fair, since Adelia's cries never really woke me up."

"Women are biologically programmed to hear that stuff better than men, or something like that," Amy said. "At least I think it said something along that line in one of my pregnancy or child raising books."

"I told you to wake me up," Ephram pointed out. "And don't give me any of that bullshit about how I'm the one making the money, so I'm the one who needs the sleep. You spend all day taking care of her."

Amy shrugged. "We've got a playdate with Cora DuPont tomorrow afternoon, so hopefully that'll wear her out and she'll get to sleep after she has her dinner. I'll throw a pizza in the oven tomorrow night, we'll light a few candles…"

He smiled at her again. "Sounds like a plan."


	3. Chapter 3

Kyle had planned to show up a few minutes late, to try and preserve for just another minute or two that image that he had somewhere better to be, something more important to do, than be on time for a drink with Ephram. However, with the combination of his nerves, and his lack of nice clothes to sort through, Kyle was still outside the Hilton ten minutes early.

So, he waited. It was a long quarter of an hour, but he managed to wait until five after before walking in. No big deal.

Upstairs, he saw Ephram sitting at the bar, laughing with the bartender. Kyle walked up awkwardly while trying to give off an air of confidence once more. He did this all the time, in theory.

"Hey," Ephram said, sipping his beer straight from the bottle. "What'll it be?"

"Just a coke," Kyle replied. He wasn't fan of alcohol. None of it tasted very good.

After receiving his soda, Kyle followed Ephram to a table.

"I ordered some nachos, too," Kyle was informed with a smile. "So… what the hell have you been up to?"

"I just got in from Europe, yesterday, actually," Kyle nodded. He was still incredibly jetlagged; he hoped it would wear off in a couple of days. "I've been studying at the Scottish Royal Academy for the last few years."

He couldn't tell if Ephram was impressed or not. "No shit," he replied. "Why on earth would you come back here?"

Kyle laughed. "I'm doing a fellowship at Julliard for the rest of the year. Teaching," he added on as an afterthought, wondering what his old mentor would think about that.

"You ever struck me as a people-person." Ephram was shaking his head.

"Oh right, because you were?" Kyle shot back.

"I'm just surprised you want to follow in my footsteps in any way."

Kyle shrugged. He didn't know what to say, really. He didn't know why he wanted to teach others piano. He knew that he never gave any of his teachers, even at school, an ounce of respect.

The nachos were delivered to the table and Ephram instantly grabbed one. Kyle steeled himself for a moment before grabbing one.

"So how did you end up playing piano for a bunch of snobs then?" Kyle ventured after a minute.

Ephram sighed heavily, nibbling only slightly on a chip. He seemed to be thinking fairly hard about it.

"It's a long story," he said eventually.

Kyle shrugged. "You're covering the snacks, right?"

Ephram laughed this time. "I married Amy about three years ago. After we graduated college. I just got a general study degree, and she knew I missed piano. He finally convinced me that should go for Julliard again. So, we moved out here, and I started studying piano again. And it was amazing."

Here, Ephram paused to take a long swig from his beer, and he noticed the gold band on Ephram's left hand for the first time now. Kyle took some more nachos. These chips were so much better than those little lunch packs he often bought, though. It was hard not to enjoy them.

"But then Amy found out she was pregnant," Ephram continued with a sigh. "Amy stayed at her job until Adelia was born, but I knew right away I wouldn't be able to stay in school. Amy tried to protest, told me that she didn't mind going back to work once the baby was born. But I knew between child care, and tuition, even her job at Niemann Marcus wouldn't cover what we needed. So, I left, again."

Kyle really was glad for how his life was turning out after all. It seemed this man across from him just was not destined to complete Julliard, whereas Kyle had gotten that opportunity, even if it was hard sometimes. And now, he was getting to go back.

"Even with a general study degree, it was hard to find a job in this economy."

Kyle nodded. "I understand that," he put in. "I'm surprised Julliard wanted me back, even if they are giving me crap wages while I'm just a teaching assistant."

"Yeah well, that's how I ended up here," Ephram finished. "But our daughter really is beautiful. And I don't regret anything. I just wish I had gotten a better job. It's tight sometimes, but I don't want Amy to go back to work until Adelia is a year old, and even then, I just don't think I'll ever finish Julliard."

"It's really not all it's cracked up to be," Kyle said, trying to reassure Ephram, for some reason he couldn't understand. "So I'm musically educated. I get to spend the rest of my life working with mouthy little bastards who are only in school as an obligation, and don't think they can learn anything from me."

"When did you get so insightful about your younger self?" Ephram asked.

"I wasn't talking about me at all," Kyle insisted with a smile. "There really was nothing to learn from anyone else. One of my teachers even admitted she could teach me no more."

"Sure," Ephram said doubtfully. "Another soda?"

Kyle shook his head. "I'll pass. I actually have to get up early tomorrow. First day. But we should hang out again sometime. On a weekend. I can… meet Amy. I always heard a lot about her when you were tutoring me. I remember that one time you showed up at my school, and pointed out the popular girl that reminded you of her. And I know you were a bigger loser than I was… but you said you'd become her friend anyway."

"You couldn't help but add that part in, could you?" Ephram asked, a small smile playing on his features again. "I'll… get in touch. Invite you to dinner. Although Amy's not much of a cook."

"Not much is still more than me," Kyle admitted. "I don't have a number here yet. But you can call the conservatory. I'd rather you not see where I live."

"Worse than a fifth-floor walkup in some dingy building near the industrial sector and no Laundromat?" Ephram asked.

"Well… no," Kyle said. His place was embarrassing, but it wasn't bad. Not entirely. "But still. It's… girly, I guess is the best word for it. And I've only been there one night but, well, my roommate and his girlfriend have really loud sex. Fairly regularly. Three times in the last twenty-four hours, actually."

Ephram nodded knowingly. "Fair enough, I suppose." He ate the last nacho from the tray. "I'll see you soon then."

"Yes," Kyle agreed, standing up. "Thanks for the chips."

Kyle headed back down the stairs and out of the hotel. It was summer, so therefore still light out, and he decided to walk the few miles back to his new home. That hadn't been too bad; actually, Kyle had a hard time remembering why he'd always been at odds with Ephram, and found himself feeling sorry for him instead.


End file.
